Question 1

What material has been seen erupting from the surface (see the image below)of the icy moon Enceladus,and why?

Accepted Answer

Geysers of water erupt from the surface of Enceladus because tidal stresses from Saturn heat up the interior and melt water below its icy surface.

Question 2

The likely source of comets that mostly have orbits of extreme tilt with respect to the ecliptic is:

Accepted Answer

A)   the Kuiper Belt.
B)   the Oort Cloud.
C)   the asteroid belt.
D)   the rings of Saturn. B

Question 3

Where does Titan's thick,nitrogen-rich atmosphere (see the image below)come from?

Accepted Answer

A)   photodissociation of methane in its atmosphere
B)   frequent volcanic eruptions
C)   cometary impacts over the age of the Solar System
D)   photosynthesis of algae in oceans that lie beneath its icy surface B

Question 4

The radiant of a meteor shower is:

Accepted Answer

A)   the apparent vanishing point of the parallel orbital paths of meteoroids.
B)   the location at which a meteor explodes in the atmosphere.
C)   the radius of a meteoroid's orbit around the sun.
D)   the radius of a meteoroid's orbit around the Earth.

Question 5

How do particles from Enceladus wind up in Saturn's E Ring?

Accepted Answer

A)   Volcanoes erupt and expel silicates into space.
B)   Water geysers erupt from the surface and expel particles into space.
C)   Cosmic rays bombard the surface rock on Enceladus and expel particles into space.
D)   A collision with a co-orbiting moon knocked rocky debris into orbit around Saturn.

Question 6

Suppose we discover a comet whose orbit was very highly eccentric,retrograde,had a very large tilt with respect to the ecliptic plane,and a period of 2,000 years.Where is the most likely place of origin for this comet?

Accepted Answer

A)   the Kuiper Belt
B)   the Oort Cloud
C)   the giant planet family
D)   outside the Solar System

Question 7

Eris and Ceres are examples of:

Accepted Answer

A)   asteroids.
B)   dwarf planets.
C)   comets.
D)   meteor showers.

Question 8

The one orbital characteristic both short- and long-period comets share is:

Accepted Answer

A)   mostly prograde orbits.
B)   orbits with completely random tilts.
C)   orbital periods longer than that of any planet.
D)   highly eccentric orbits.

Question 9

Why does the dust tail separate from the ion tail?

Accepted Answer

A)   The dust is not ionized, so it is not affected by the solar wind.
B)   Dust cannot sublimate as ice can, so it cannot form a tail as easily.
C)   The dust tail forms on the leading side of the nucleus, whereas the gas tail forms on the opposite side.
D)   Dust is more massive than ions, so it accelerates less.

Question 10

Which group of meteorites represents the conditions in the earliest stages of the formation of the Solar System?

Accepted Answer

A)   chondrites
B)   achondrites
C)   iron meteorites
D)   stony-iron meteorites

Question 11

The type of meteorites most likely to have originated from the outer layers of differentiated planetesimals come from

Accepted Answer

A)   comets.
B)   C-type asteroids.
C)   M-type asteroids.
D)   S-type asteroids.

Question 12

The surface of the dwarf planet Eris has very high albedo and is covered with:

Accepted Answer

A)   methane ice.
B)   water ice.
C)   sulfur dioxide.
D)   frozen carbon dioxide.

Question 13

Cometary nuclei are most likely:

Accepted Answer

A)   solid ice.
B)   rocky.
C)   porous.
D)   uniform.

Question 14

In the figure below,label each portion of the comet.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In the figure below,label each portion of...

Question 15

Most comets originate:

Accepted Answer

A)   near Earth and Venus in the early Solar System.
B)   far from the planets, many thousands of astronomical units from the Sun.
C)   from the region between the orbits of Jupiter and Neptune.
D)   between the Sun and Mercury.

Question 16

Europa is a very interesting moon that NASA is considering visiting with a spacecraft in order to search for signs of life.What is it about this moon that makes it so interesting,and what surface features give us clues about its interior?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Europa is a very interesting moon that...

Question 17

Describe two modern-day events when comets or asteroids collided with a planet.Cite the planet,give the approximate year when the collision occurred,and describe the major consequences of the collision.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe two modern-day events when comets or...

Question 18

When a comet comes close to the Sun,its volatile ice sublimates and transforms directly from the solid to ________ phase.

Accepted Answer

A)   liquid
B)   crystalline
C)   gas
D)   ionized

Question 19

A comet having an orbit of 50 years would likely have come from the:

Accepted Answer

A)   Trojan family
B)   Oort Cloud
C)   zodiacal zone
D)   Kuiper Belt

Question 20

Antarctica is the best hunting ground for meteorites for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

A)   the ground is covered with ice in Antarctica.
B)   more meteorites fall there than on other locations on Earth.
C)   few native rocks are found on the glaciers.
D)   meteorites are protected from weathering and contamination there.

Exam 9: Small Bodies of the Solar System